The rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.
The Von Erichs (real name Adkisson) began their wrestling dynasty when Fritz Von Erich (born Jack Barton Adkisson) became a star in the National Wrestling Alliance, holding multiple belts in the 1960s before becoming president of the organisation. He died in 1997.
He and his wife Doris had six sons, five of whom died before their father, which led to talk of a curse, colloquially dubbed the ‘Von Erich curse’. Today, two sons of Kevin Von Erich, the last surviving brother, are both pro wrestlers with Major League Wrestling.
In 2009, the Von Erich family were inducted by Michael “P.S.” Hayes into the WWE Hall of Fame.
